Sunday, June 13, 2010
IN HOT PURSUIT
Phil. 3:12-14
I know a man who has demonstrated a particular quality through the years. If I called his name, some of you would immediately recognize him. We might say that he has a one-track mind. When he is working on something, the rest of the world doesn’t exist for him. Let me give you one example. Most people who work at a job where there is a starting time and quitting time have a tendency to be very aware when quitting time approaches. A glance at your watch tells you that you only have 20 minutes left for the day. This man is different. A friend of mine worked on a job with him for some time and made this comment, “If someone didn’t come around and tell him it was quitting time, he would work until there was no more daylight.” That’s how caught up he was in his work.
Of course, that is not necessarily always a good trait to have. Such a one-track mind can cause a person to neglect important things. We would have to say that a one-track mind is a good thing when it is focused on the right track.
This morning, as we continue to look at Phil. 3:12-16, we are going to be looking at single-minded pursuit. Take a moment to remember where we are. This passage follows what we read in verses 10-11, which can be summarized with the opening words of verse 10: “that I may know him.” Yes, he certainly knew Christ, but he wanted to know Him more intimately every day. That was the driving force of his life. Then in verses 12-16 we are looking at four principles that can help us in our quest to know Christ more fully. We looked at the first two weeks ago: Humbly acknowledge your need. We must say with Paul that we have not arrived. Though many of us know Christ, we have only scratched the surface. We are in great need of knowing Him more intimately.
This morning we are going to look at the second principle in this passage: With a single mind, pursue the one thing. You may be thinking, “We’ve been over this ground before.” Yes, you’re right. We touched on this concept in the first part of chapter two, when Paul urged us to be likeminded, to think the same thing. Ultimately, he was not urging us to simply agree in our thinking, but he was calling all of us to agree with Christ in His thinking. When we think like Christ thinks, we will be likeminded. Now here in this passage, Paul focuses even more intently on the one thing, as we will see. So let’s begin to look at it.
Let’s read Phil. 3:12-16…
Not as though I had already attained, either were already perfect: but I follow after, if that I may apprehend that for which also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus. 13. Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, 14. I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus. 15. Let us therefore, as many as be perfect, be thus minded: and if in any thing ye be otherwise minded, God shall reveal even this unto you. 16. Nevertheless, whereto we have already attained, let us walk by the same rule, let us mind the same thing.
II. With Single Mind, Pursue the One Thing
Last time, when we were looking at the concept of humbly acknowledging our need, we saw that Paul made two definite statements pointing to his need. In both verses 12 and 13 he made it clear that he had not yet arrived. In verse 12 he said, “Not as though I had already attained, either were already perfect.” Then in 13 he said, “Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended.” Now with reference to this single-minded pursuit, Paul also makes two definite statements. First, in the middle of verse 12, “But I follow after, if that I may apprehend…” Then in verse 14, “I press toward the mark.” Paul uses the same word in both cases, though it is translated differently in the King James. Both the NAS and the NIV are consistent, in both cases translating it, “I press on.” The word literally means “pursue.” By the way, it is also the word that is translated “persecute.” 45 times this word and its cognates are translated “persecute” or “persecution” (at least in the KJV). Every time you read the word “persecute” or “persecution,” know that it is this word that literally means “to pursue.” That makes sense, when a person is being persecuted, he is being pursued by those who are opposing him.
The point is very simple in this passage. “I haven’t yet arrived. I haven’t taken it all in as of yet. No, I have not arrived at perfection. But I am in hot pursuit of it. And why do I pursue the One who said, ‘Be ye perfect’? So that I may lay hold of that purpose for which Christ Jesus has laid hold of me. I haven’t yet fully laid hold on that purpose for which Christ has laid hold of me, but I am continuing to pursue it. Yes, I am continuing to pursue the goal.” In both occurrences (verse 12 and then in 13), this word is in the present tense, indicating a continuing pursuit. Because Paul hasn’t yet taken down that purpose, he keeps on pursuing it. Because he hasn’t reached the mark, the goal, he keeps on pursuing it.
Picture a ranch hand out there on BLM land. There is a calf that he needs to catch and bring back. He has seen it, but the brush is thick and he hasn’t been able to get it. His attitude is simply this: “I haven’t caught that calf yet, but I will keep on chasing it until I get it.” That’s where Paul was, except he was chasing something far more valuable.
1. So What Is the Goal?
So what exactly was Paul chasing? In verse 12, we see that he is trying to lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus laid hold of him. The goal of this pursuit comes more clearly into focus in verse 14, “I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.” The NASV of verse 14 reads, “I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.”
Paul uses two interesting terms with regard to the goal of his pursuit. The first is translated “mark” (“goal” in the NASV). Originally, it referred to an observer, a watchman, one who observed with the eye. Later it came to designate the distant mark or goal for which the observer looked. In secular Greek, it was used to designate a mark at which someone was shooting. Here it seems to picture the finish line of the race, which in the distance is visible to the runner. The other term (prize) is used only here and I Cor. 9:24. The meaning becomes clearer by looking there in 1 Cor. 9:24, "Know ye not that they which run in a race run all, but one receiveth the prize? So run, that ye may obtain." This is the award, the prize, that was given to one who was victorious in the games.
But what about this high calling of God in Christ Jesus? The NASV refers to it as “the upward call.” Paul is speaking of the call from heaven, issued by God in Jesus Christ. Thayer’s Greek Lexicon says it is equivalent to “the heavenly calling” of Heb. 3:1. Let’s read Heb. 3:1, "Wherefore, holy brethren, partakers of the heavenly calling, consider the Apostle and High Priest of our profession, Christ Jesus;" This high calling, this upward calling, this heavenly calling, is the calling we have from God in Christ Jesus. When is this calling, this invitation, issued? There is a sense in which it is the call at conversion. God did indeed call Paul with a heavenly calling in Christ Jesus, as he was on his way to Damascus. But there is another sense in which there will be a final upward calling, when God finally calls Paul home. Nevertheless, it is a call that was being issued at the present time. Notice that this calling is the prize that Paul was pursuing. He pursues the prize of (which is) the heavenly calling of God in Christ Jesus. His goal is to treasure that calling and to be obedient to it.
Let me give you a rather picturesque translation of verse 14, “With my eye fixed on the finish line, I am actively pursuing the prize, which consists of God’s heavenly calling in Christ Jesus.” What does this tell us? Paul makes it very clear that the call of God begins at conversion, but it doesn’t end there. The apostle was pursuing that calling with everything in him. It is as if God is saying to Paul, “My child, come on up. Yes, it may be a while until you are completely at home with me in glory, but in the meanwhile, come on up higher. Walk with me. Grab hold of all I have for you today.”
Do you see how this fits perfectly with what we have read earlier. “For to me to live is Christ and to die is gain” (1:21). Whether he lived or died, everything was wrapped up in Christ. As we read in 3:10, “That I may know him…” Here in 3:14 we have the same theme. Paul is still longing to know Christ, to hear more clearly the heavenly calling of His loving Father.
Since Paul was fond of the running metaphor, let’s put in terms of the race. Way back on the road to Damascus, God called Paul to enter the race. The time would come when the Lord would give him the victor’s crown for how he ran the race. But as Paul was still running, the Lord was ever calling him on to the finish line. “Come on, Paul. You can see the finish line; don’t let up now. You just have a short distance to go. Give your all, so that you can win the prize.”
2. So How Should We Run? How Should We Pursue the Goal?
So we see that the goal is to run the race in such a way as to win the prize, which is the heavenly calling of God in Christ Jesus. If we are going to achieve that goal, how should we run? That is the focus of verse 13, “Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended; but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before…” Then he goes on to say that he is pursuing the prize. So we see that verse 13 is a description of how he is running the race, how he pursuing the goal.
First of all, we must keep in mind Paul’s recognition that he has not yet arrived. He has not fully laid hold of the purpose for which Christ Jesus laid hold of him. As he says back in verse 12, he has not been perfected. If someone thinks he has already won the race, there is no reason to keep running. Paul is absolutely certain that he has not finished the race; the prize is not yet his; the finish line is still up ahead. This is vitally important for us to understand and apply. Too often in modern Christianity there is great confusion at this point. It goes like this: “I have been saved. Therefore, I belong to God in Christ and I am bound for heaven. Though I should try to walk with Christ day by day, it really isn’t necessary, since heaven has been secured. For me, the race was won when I was converted. In the final analysis, it doesn’t really matter how I live from day to day.” Do you see how that runs counter to Paul’s attitude. In all of Paul’s writings, you can’t find anything even remotely akin to that attitude. Paul ran with the full recognition that the race had begun, but it was far from over. We must run that way too. The first step in pursuing the goal effectively is to continually realize that we have not yet arrived.
Then we have this little statement: “But one thing I do.” I haven’t yet arrived, but there is one thing I do. If you are reading the KJV or the NASV, you will notice that “I do” is in parenthesis, which simply means that it is not in the text and has been supplied to help our understanding. Literally, it reads, “But one thing.” “I do” is understood, but Paul doesn’t even include it. I think it is because he is trying to draw all the attention to the “one thing.” Paul is a “one thing” runner in his pursuit of the finish line.
And what is the one thing he does? With his eye on the finish line, he pursues the prize of the upward calling of God in Christ Jesus. He doesn’t run toward the finish line, while he surveys the crowd along the way. He doesn’t run hard, while he looks at the other runners in the race. No, all of his attention is devoted to getting to that finish line, so that he may claim the prize. He is a one thing runner.
You may notice that we emphasize this concept a great deal. We do so, because the scripture does so. This is exactly what Jake was preaching on a few weeks ago at the end of Luke 9, where Jesus demanded that His disciples drop everything else in order to follow Him. This is the idea behind Jesus’ strong statement in Luke 14:26-27, "If any man come to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple. 27. And whosoever doth not bear his cross, and come after me, cannot be my disciple." Following Jesus is a “one thing” kind of life.
David expressed this attitude in Psalm 27. The context in verses 2-3 is war. But right in the midst of it, we find these words in Ps. 27:4, "One thing have I desired of the LORD, that will I seek after; that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the LORD, and to inquire in his temple." Was not this what made David a man after God’s own heart. What about the time when he committed terrible sins and for nine months tried to cover them up? It seems he was describing that time in Ps. 32:3-4, "When I kept silence, my bones waxed old through my roaring all the day long. 4. For day and night thy hand was heavy upon me: my moisture is turned into the drought of summer." That was a time when he was not focused on the one thing. Can you imagine how divided he must have been, as he tried to hide from God.
In the New Testament, we have the example of Mary. Most of you know the story well, but let’s read it again in Luke 10:38-42…
Now it came to pass, as they went, that he entered into a certain village: and a certain woman named Martha received him into her house. 39. And she had a sister called Mary, which also sat at Jesus' feet, and heard his word. 40. But Martha was cumbered about much serving, and came to him, and said, Lord, dost thou not care that my sister hath left me to serve alone? bid her therefore that she help me. 41. And Jesus answered and said unto her, Martha, Martha, thou art careful and troubled about many things: 42. But one thing is needful: and Mary hath chosen that good part, which shall not be taken away from her.
There must have been a great deal of pressure on Mary to get up and help her sister with the serving. After all, what could be more important than helping to prepare a meal for the Master? Just one thing, and Mary chose that good thing. She sat at Jesus’ feet and heard His word. Martha desperately wanted Mary to leave her position at the feet of Jesus, but Jesus Himself commended her for being a one-thing disciple.
As he focused on the one thing, Paul gives us another valuable insight. He was aware that there are things which could steal our one-thing focus? Let’s read it again, “But this one thing I do -- forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth to those things which are before…” What are the things which are behind? Obviously, Paul is referring to those things which took place in the past. But which things? He might be talking about his accomplishments in Judaism, though it seems that Paul had already put those things behind them, having counted them as loss. If he is referring to things that had happened during the 25+ years that he had been following Christ, is he talking about his successes or his failures? It seems to me that he would be referring to both. Don’t get the idea that Paul had no failures. Remember, he has just told us very pointedly that he has not yet arrived at perfection. As Paul focused on the one thing of pursuing the heavenly call, he made it a point to forget the things of the past, both his failures and successes.
For Paul, it certainly seems there were more successes than failures. However, looking back at either of these can be a stumblingblock to us. For some, looking at the failures is a greater hindrance. For others, the greater temptation is to look back at the successes. Suppose you can look back in your life and count many, many times that you have failed the Lord. If you aren’t careful, those memories will weigh you down. The enemy will take them and convince you that you are not worthy to serve the Lord. And even if you are worthy, you aren’t capable. You will mess up the present assignment just like you did in the past. Peter was certainly vulnerable to this kind of thinking, after he denied Jesus. No wonder the Lord sought him out and encouraged him personally. Surely after Jesus encouraged him, Peter didn’t go back and dwell on that failure. He forgot it. He put it behind him.
On the other hand, looking back at our successes can also pull us away from being a one-thing disciple. Let me give you a personal example. I have shared this with some of you in the past. I love Sundays. It is a blessing to be able to proclaim the Word of God to God’s people and have fellowship together. Years ago, I think I regarded that as my success. I had faithfully proclaimed God’s Word. Though it wasn’t perfectly, I had been obedient to my Lord. Over a long period of time, I discovered a problem in my life. When I was honest, I had to admit that Monday was the worst day of the week for me. It’s not like some of you are thinking. You think that means that I had all kinds of problems. Please hear me. Whether or not you have problems does not tell you whether you are faithfully following Christ. I hear people say things like this, “When I read my Bible and pray in the morning, things go better all day long. I don’t have as many problems.” Do you think Jesus met with His Father that morning before He poured out His heart in the Garden of Gethsemane and was arrested by the soldiers? Do you get my point? Whether or not we have problems is not an accurate gauge of how we are doing spiritually. I didn’t have more problems on Monday. As a matter of fact, I had less. I had a good time. So what was the problem? The Lord seemed distant. I didn’t sense a great need for Him. I was living on the memory of a great day Sunday and failing to run a focused race on Monday.
Let me pause right here for a moment. Is it possible to forget the past? Well, for some of us it is more than possible. However, Paul is not talking about wiping things out of the memory. He obviously could remember the past quite well, as in this very chapter he has recounted the past in great detail. Go check out the words “forget” and “remember” in Deuteronomy. Listen to Ps. 78:10-11, "They kept not the covenant of God, and refused to walk in his law; 11. And forgat his works, and his wonders that he had showed them." We find the same thing in Ps. 106:12-13, "Then believed they his words; they sang his praise. 13. They soon forgat his works; they waited not for his counsel:" And Ps. 106:21, "They forgat God their saviour, which had done great things in Egypt." The problem was not that the Israelites could not remember; the problem was in the fact that they refused to remember. They could recall in their minds the things that God had done for them, but they didn’t want to think about those things. That is the meaning of “remember” and “forget” in the scripture. Paul could easily recall the things of the past, but he refused to do so. Why? Because if he did so, he would be distracted from his one-thing pursuit of the heavenly prize.
But let’s be honest -- a person has to think. You can’t avoid thinking. The human mind is a thinking instrument, and it has nothing to do with a person’s IQ. We are always thinking. So if we are not going to think about the things of the past, then what are we to think on? Paul tells us. “Forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before.” Paul was looking ahead. He was setting his eyes on future events. Brothers and sisters, that does not mean he was worrying about what was going to happen to him. Remember that this letter was written from prison, and it is obvious that Paul wasn’t worrying. So what future events claimed his attention? Those events which are common to all Jesus’ followers -- the resurrection, the judgment, eternal glory. Though Paul does not spell that truth out in the immediate context, this truth is never far below the surface. We only have to go back to verse 11 to hear Paul talking about attaining unto the resurrection of the dead. And down in verse 20 he speaks of his citizenship in heaven, from whence we look for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. We will talk about this more later, but we must understand that these future events are so real that they must occupy our thinking in the present.
Notice that term “reaching forth.” It is the translation of another word that is taken from the games of his day. It literally means “to stretch out toward.” Marvin Vincent notes that this is “a graphic word from the arena. The body of the racer is bent forward, his hand is outstretched towards the goal, and his eye is fastened on it” (from The Epistle to the Philippians and to Philemon, p. 110). The NIV brings this out with the words “straining toward what is ahead.”
Conclusion
We could summarize the message this morning like this: Paul knew what the prize was and he pursued it with singleness of mind. As the runner shuts out everything else so he can focus on the finish line, so Paul refused to be sidetracked by anything, as he pursued the heavenly calling of God in Christ Jesus.
Now let’s go back to our friend with the one-track mind. I suggested that a one-track mind is a good thing when it is focused on the right track. That was the case with Paul. I remember Brother Bob, who was my pastor when I was a young Christian. Some of you had the opportunity to meet him. Somewhere along the way, he picked up that little saying, “Some people are so heavenly minded that they are of no earthly good.” I have to say that I believe wholeheartedly that statement is wrong. The Holy Spirit, speaking through Paul, tells us in Col. 3:1-4, “If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sits on the right hand of God. Set your affection [mind] on things above, and not on the earth. For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God. And when Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory.” According to Paul’s Spirit-inspired writings, the more heavenly minded we are, the more earthly good we will be.
So am I criticizing the man who was my pastor? By no means. I don’t know why Brother Bob quoted that little saying, but I know this -- he didn’t live by it. He was and is a heavenly-minded man. I don’t know what you think about “guardian angels.” Jesus said, "Take heed that ye despise not one of these little ones; for I say unto you, That in heaven their angels do always behold the face of my Father which is in heaven" (Matt. 18:10). That scripture might come to life for you, if you ever watched Brother Bob drive. It wasn’t that he wasn’t capable of driving an automobile; it’s just that it wasn’t something that occupied his mind (even when he was behind the wheel). Brother Bob had more important things on his mind, heavenly things. I knew him as a man who longed for the return of his Lord and hungered and thirsted to know Him in the present. He was a one-thing disciple of Jesus.
How do we get there? In our closet, on our knees, with a Bible in hand. If you need an explanation of that statement, let me say it a little bit slower and more deliberately. How do we get there? How do we become more and more one-thing disciples of Christ, pursuing the heavenly calling with everything in us? In our closet, on our knees, with a Bible in hand.
